MIAMI, FL. When a state inspector walked into Raccoon Coffee on Biscayne Boulevard on September 15, they found employees showing symptoms of illness still working the floor, toxic chemicals stored improperly near food, and no written policy requiring sick workers to stay home. The inspector left with 11 high-severity citations and 3 intermediate violations. The coffee shop never closed.
What Inspectors Found
The employee illness violations sit at the top of this list for a reason. State records show the September inspection cited both the absence of a written employee health policy and the active failure of employees to report illness symptoms. Those are two separate violations pointing at the same gap: workers who may be sick have no formal obligation to stay home, and at least one was documented still on the job.
The chemical violations compound the picture. Inspectors cited both improper storage and labeling of toxic chemicals and improper identification, storage, and use of toxic substances. That is two distinct citations for chemical handling failures in the same facility on the same day.
Inspectors also cited a failure to demonstrate allergen awareness. That single violation covers every customer who walked in with a food allergy and asked a staff member what was safe to order.
The intermediate violations included improper sewage or wastewater disposal, multi-use utensils not properly cleaned, and inadequate or improperly maintained toilet facilities. Taken together, the sewage and toilet citations describe a facility where the basic infrastructure supporting employee hygiene was not functioning.
What These Violations Mean
The sick-employee violations are the most acutely dangerous findings in this inspection. When a food worker with Norovirus handles food without restriction, a single shift can expose dozens of customers. Norovirus spreads through the fecal-oral route, meaning contaminated hands touching food, surfaces, or utensils is all it takes. The absence of a written health policy means there is no documented standard for when a worker must call out, and no record that employees were ever trained on one.
The improper handwashing technique violation makes the illness risk worse, not redundant. An employee who attempts to wash their hands but uses incorrect technique, too brief, skipping steps, not reaching all surfaces, still transfers pathogens. The inspector documented that failure here.
The two chemical storage violations create a separate and immediate risk. Improperly labeled cleaning chemicals stored near food preparation areas can contaminate food directly, or be mistaken for food-safe products. Chemical poisoning from this type of exposure can cause acute symptoms within minutes of ingestion.
The allergen violation is one that affects customers who have no visible warning. Food allergies cause an estimated 30,000 emergency room visits in the United States annually. Staff who cannot accurately answer questions about allergens in menu items leave those customers without the information they need to make a safe choice.
The Longer Record
The September 15 inspection is not an anomaly at Raccoon Coffee. State records show 28 inspections on file and 264 total violations across that history. The facility has been cited for high-severity violations in six of the eight most recent inspection cycles with recorded data.
The most recent prior inspection, in May 2026, showed only one high-severity violation. But the inspection before that, in March 2026, produced five high-severity citations in a single visit, and the November 2025 inspection produced eight. The pattern is not a steady decline or a steady improvement. It is a facility that clears some violations between inspections and accumulates new ones.
The facility was emergency-closed once before, in February 2020, after inspectors found roach and rodent activity. It reopened the following day. That closure is the only one in the record, despite the volume of high-severity violations documented in subsequent years.
The Facility Remained Open
Florida's emergency closure authority is triggered when an inspector determines that conditions pose an immediate threat to public health. State records show that after documenting 11 high-severity violations at Raccoon Coffee on September 15, including sick employees working with food and toxic chemicals stored near food prep areas, the inspector did not order an emergency closure.
The coffee shop at 2419 Biscayne Boulevard was open when the inspector arrived. It was open when the inspector left.
